<p style="text-align: justify;">Over the past few years, there have been lots of shocking news stories and headlines about the danger prolonged sitting presents to our health. Experts have stated that &lsquo;sitting is the new smoking&rsquo;, and while these headlines may seem sensationalist, the truth is that extended periods of sitting can be extremely detrimental to our health.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The average British person spends 8.9 hours a day sitting down. More of us are working in jobs which see us spending our entire work days sitting down &ndash; but sedentary behaviour is often linked to obesity, Type 2 diabetes, some types of cancer and even premature death.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">But it&rsquo;s not all bad news. There are ways to counteract the risks posed by prolonged sitting &ndash; for example, a&nbsp;new University of Leicester study&nbsp;found that exercising for two and a half hours a week can counteract the effects of sitting down all day.&nbsp; Below, we&rsquo;ve put together a few tips for those of you who find yourselves sitting down all day at work. Why not give these a try?</p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li>Could your business consider installing standing desks in the office?&nbsp;treadmill desks and adjustable height work stations can be expensive, but having a few standing height desks for people to use is a more practical option.</li> <li>Take regular breaks&nbsp;from your desk&nbsp;&ndash; ensure you get up and stretch your legs for five minutes every hour. A lot of fitness trackers now have the feature built in to remind you when it&rsquo;s time to get up and move.</li> <li>Suggest standing or walking meetings to your co-workers &ndash;&nbsp;not all meetings need to take place sat around a table. You can stand or walk around with your co-workers as you chat &ndash; this can help to keep meetings short too!</li> <li>Make the most of your lunch break&nbsp;&ndash; your lunch break is there for a reason; to give you a break from your desk. Use it to get out and about, get some fresh air and stretch your legs.</li> <li>Get creative&nbsp;&ndash; there are plenty of opportunities to introduce standing into your work day in small ways. For example, if you know you&rsquo;re going to be on the phone for a while, why not stand up for the duration of the call?</li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;">Source&nbsp;fitforwork.org&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p>